Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in an operation by the U.S. He was standing in his balcony in his home, which is located in a quiet and plush area in central Kabul, Afghanistan, when he was hit by Hellfire missiles. Officials in Washington said that this had been the biggest blow to militants in a decade, since the shooting of Osama bin Laden, in 2011.
President Joe Biden said, “Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more.” He also warned that if anyone was a threat to Americans, the United States would find them and take them out. The president said that he had authorized the strike that was precise and killed only Al Zawahiri and that none of his family members or civilians were killed during the drone strike.
Reuters also reported that US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the outlet that the Al Qaeda chief was killed after he came out to the balcony of what was described as a safe house at 6:18 a.m., on Sunday morning. He was struck by Hellfire missiles that were launched from a U.S. drone.
On Tuesday, three spokespeople in the Taliban administration, who were accused of violating an agreement in Doha, by them and the U.S. as they sheltered Al-Zawahiri in Kabul, declined to comment.
Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid, who is a Taliban spokesperson, confirmed that there was a drone strike in Kabul, on Sunday and described it as a violation of “international principle,” according to the outlet.
John Kirby, who is a White House spokesman, told CNN that they would not get DNA confirmation of Zawahiri’s death but mentioned that there was “visual confirmation.”
U.S. Navy SEALS had shot Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in Pakistan, on May2, 2011. He was succeeded by Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Egyptian doctor had been Al Qaeda’s main organizer as well as strategist and had planned the 9-11 attack. He had also been implicated in other attacks against the U.S.
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